Look in one direction

The world's youngest boy band, One Direction, gets into unplugged mode on the eve of the launch of their debut album, Up All Night

For nearly two decades, boy bands have been loved and hated with equal intensity. But they don't get any younger than this. One Direction, the claimant to the title of the youngest boy band in the world has been taking the world of teenage screaming fans by storm with their songs about beautiful girls and love.

Louis Tomlinson (20), Zayn Malik (19), Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Niall Horan (all 18) came together to form One Direction, selected by none other than reality show judge Simon Cowell and singer Nicole Scherzinger on UK's X Factor. The band was born when all the members failed to qualify till the finals as soloist.

As a group, these young lads (then 16-year-olds) raked up a major fan following in the UK and came in third at the show. Their single What Makes You Beautiful topped UK's charts and the album Up all Night followed.The album is slotted for its all-India release today. Excerpts from the interview.

Each of you had auditioned solo for X Factor. How did it the idea of working as a group emerge?One Direction: X Factor gave us the X Factor moment. We were solo performers, who barely made it through the boot camp stage. When we were about to pack up and leave, we were brought together as the show's youngest ever boy band.Liam: The first thing that struck me was that we don't know each other. How are we going to make this work? It was a shot in the dark.Zayn: It was unbelievable for me to be part of this group. I never wanted to be in a group. But as time passed I came to know the lads a bit; we simply went with the flow since then.

What does the name of your band symbolise for each of you; how did you fix on the name?Harry: We thought of several names and then realised that all of us wanted the same thing we were all heading in (One Direction).

Your star duet round on stage was with Robbie Williams. What was it like? What tips did you get from him considering he was part of a popular boy band as well?One Direction: Performing with such a great superstar and that too one of our favorites was the experience of a lifetime. We never imagined that we would ever be on stage performing together.Louis: Post the performance, we had a chilled out session with Robbie. He had just two things to share with us dedication and love for music.

Any comparisons you all have faced with other boy bands?One Direction: Boy Bands have always created the spark. They would always continue to do so. We are not up to that level as yet to be compared with any other boy bands. Once you're a group, you have a crazy fan following.

How has fame treated you till now? How do your female fans react to you?One Direction: People know our story, they have seen us grow into musicians and somehow, they connect their lives with ours. Also, it is exciting to be nominated for the Brit Awards 2012. Louis: As far as the female attention goes, girls find Harry really charming, attractive and endearing. We all love the attention.

You were 16 when you entered X Factor. And after the success what was the reaction at your schools like? Are you still studying or is it that touring keeps you on your toes all the time?One Direction: Our friends at school always force us to perform for them. We are thankful to those who have supported us we have a long way to go. Music is our passion and comes to us naturally. We also understand that we need to concentrate on our studies.

What's the personal favourite genre of music of each one of you?One Direction: Hip Hop, House and Rock makes us groove all the time.

Who are your current favourite music artists?One Direction: Our all-time favourite remains Take That! However, The Black Eyed Peas, James Morrison, Taio Cruz and Pink Floyd are some of our other favourites.

What are you currently working on?Harry: We are working on our new single I Should Have Kissed You. The lyrics are ready. We are hoping to get it out by March 2012 in USA.

Apart from music, what are your other interests?Harry: Juggling and tennis.Louis: Football.Niall: Guitar.Liam: Spending time with family and friends and basketball.Zayn: Drawing and acting.

Any plans to tour India?One Direction: India is full of cultural beauty. We want Indians to listen to our music. We hope to come here soon.

Up All Night, One Direction, Sony Music, Rs 499. Available at leading music stores.